Through the Black Night
by Aerysa
Summary: -Song-spired Series- Song #10: Nervous Breakdown by Abingdon Boys School. A gamble of an excuse; alone - one Black Reaper and one lady officer.


The summary is kind of lame... Lol, but I couldn't think of anything better that wouldn't give away everything.

Yet another song inspired story where the song is _Nervous Breakdown_ by Abingdon Boys School. It is roughly based on this song since there isn't a true story to the lyrics. I love the song that much that I wrote two different stories (with different main guys ^^) This story is number 2 of the pair since I wrote the November one first, even though I originally had the idea as Hei's story... haha~

As for anyone who is possibly reading _A Demon's Demand_, I apologize for the lack of updates there. I was preoccupied with finishing these two stories and since Christmas is right around the corner, it's going to get busy. But since I have some time off from work, I hope I'll have time to work on it.

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><p><strong>Through the Black Night<strong>

A bowl of ramen placed strategically in front of him, just one of four, Hei watched his companion from beneath a heavy-lidded gaze. Given her normal regard for cautious awareness, this was one instance in which Misaki Kirihara was oblivious to the fact that he was staring at her, taking in the sight of her.

He could see a tinge of pink delicately coating her cheeks while her gaze was averted. It remained downcast and she remained preoccupied with her bowl of noodles. She couldn't sense his lazy scrutiny as he continued to eat. After all, eating was second nature to him; the simple task of watching her would not hinder his ability to feed himself.

When he finished the bowl of noodles in front of him and set it aside, he lowered his gaze. Placing the next bowl precisely in front of himself, she had finally peeked a glance at him. He raised his eyes to meet hers. The moment their eyes connected, her gaze darted away; once again preoccupied with her food.

Inwardly sighing, Hei searched his mind for possible ways to draw the lady officer out of her shy reserve. Li was only a persona he portrayed when he was in his civilian guise, but it was also the one which attracted her. At the same time, he knew it wasn't the only aspect to her as she had chased him as the Black Reaper with a possessed determination.

When they were alone together as they were now, he could feel that sizzling undercurrent of attraction between them; something that caused him to curse the fact that he had to remain in his character of Li. The timid Chinese schoolboy was useless when it came to his personal agenda.

He wanted to strip away her stupid barriers; to have her chase Li with the same unrelenting passion she used on the Black Reaper; all so he could spend time with her – alone. Yet regardless of that desire, he couldn't break out of his carefully crafted image of Li. There would be too many consequences, risks he couldn't take, if he allowed that to happen. Unfortunately, that left him at a standstill.

"H – How is your day so far?" Hei finally asked her, with Li's signature awkward scratch of his neck.

"Eh? Mm… I – It's going well," she answered equally awkwardly.

Glancing up into her eyes, he gave her a quick nod before he looked away. When he glanced at her again, she had returned her gaze to her food, that touch of blush darkening. _Damn her shyness_, he thought to himself. He was tempted to grab her by the arms to shake her before pulling her close and pressing the length of her body up against his.

Though she was inexperienced in the relationship department, she should still understand what the electrifying frisson of energy between them meant – energy that had nothing to do with his powers. Even so, she never took any initiative. In a typical situation, he should be the one to make the first move, but their situation was far from typical. He couldn't blow his cover and he wouldn't purposely place her on the Syndicate's radar for such a selfish reason.

With her usual approach to catching criminals, he had hoped she would use the same tactics for their relationship. Regrettably, she did a complete one-eighty around Li, meaning this would get them absolutely nowhere – not unless he could think of something to help them along; something that wouldn't alarm the Syndicate yet still allowed him to act based on his own intentions.

Not to mention… He expected it any minute now and he wasn't disappointed when her phone began ringing a few minutes later. Because of her line of work, they only had brief encounters where she always rushed out on him – whenever they chanced to meet at the small restaurant.

"Excuse me," she murmured with a quick glance his way before she pulled out the phone.

Carefully shifting so it seemed like he was stretching his back, Hei watched her. She showed him her profile while she had one hand holding the phone to her ear and the other one cradled over the microphone and her mouth. Her voice was soft, conscientious of the words she spoke in public. Whoever it was, whatever they said, it didn't please her.

He didn't have to see to know that she was frowning; he could read her like a book. His fingers trembled, itching with the urge to smooth away the troubled expression on her face. Instead, he picked up his chopsticks and attacked his meal with renewed vigour. It was something to keep his hands preoccupied lest he reach for her across the table and act on that impulse.

The frown still lingered as she put the phone away. A moment later, she turned her head to look at him; to find that he watched her. Hei let his gaze linger longer than normal, despite the fact that Li would have immediately averted his eyes. She coloured a rosy shade of pink as her features relaxed and coughed lightly as a diversion from her embarrassment.

"Mm… I'm sorry about that," she said softly.

"Was it s – something serious?"

"… It's not that serious… But I really should go back to work."

"Oh…" Hei murmured, already knowing this would happen because it did every time. "You should a – at least finish your meal…"

"Y – Yes, of course."

She peeked up at him and he let a small smile tug at his lips. This time, her gaze lingered for a few seconds before she looked away. Following his suggestion, she resumed her eating. It wasn't much, but it meant she would stay a little bit longer. It depended on the conversation; other times where she had rushed out without even doing that much.

"I have to go now. I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer," she mumbled when she finished.

"N – No, it's alright. T – They need you…"

"Even so, I… It was nice meeting you today," she said, clearly not saying what she wanted to say.

"Yes, I – I liked this."

"See you, Li-kun."

"Take care, Kirihara-san," he replied.

A fleeting smile touched her lips before she slung her purse over her shoulder and pushed her chair away from the table. A few bills were placed on the table to pay for her share and then she quickly left. All the while, Hei could do nothing but watch her escape from his grasp.

Now that she was gone, Hei growled softly under his breath. He quickly finished the remaining bowls on the table, ignoring the obvious fact that they had grown cold. Turning to the owner to order more, he sat back in contemplation while he waited for more food. Once more, she had slipped away with no progress between them and he didn't like it one bit.

He had lost count of how many meetings they had in this manner, but it didn't truly matter. All he knew was the mounting frustration he felt at being incapable of doing something about his dangerous attraction to the woman; attraction that was driving him crazy because it continued to grow each time he met her – regardless of whether that was as Li Shenshung or the Black Reaper.

Since there was no one to hear him, the owner busy preparing his food in the back kitchen, Hei growled again. His gaze was locked on the money she had left behind yet he wasn't really looking at it. Somehow, someway, he would come up with a plan to steal her away even if only for one night…

* * *

><p>Standing immobilized in front of the door, Misaki shuddered violently, struggling to take in a breath of air. She was here. She was really here. Her heart thumped madly out of control as she nervously lifted her fist to knock on the door.<p>

_You're only here to check on him. He doesn't know anyone else here._ So she told herself, though that was definitely not the main reason.

It had been one of those rare days where she actually forgot her phone in her purse during a meeting. As luck would have it, he had called during that short two-hour period. As a result, she found a voice message waiting for her from none other than Li.

In retrospect, it could have been a blessing since she automatically saved the message when her options were being listed. Though it would only be stored for ten days, those were still ten days where she could listen to his voice whenever she felt inclined to.

Misaki recalled the message which she had already replayed a dozen times; at first in shock and elation to hear his voice; then finally to actually listen to the message itself. Even when her giddiness had decreased to contained levels, she had to replay it because he had spoken so quickly and nervously that she struggled to understand his words.

The main message was lost due to his babbling, but she had been able to pick out some details. There was mention of his apartment. Something about being away, though she couldn't determine what he meant. Then at the end, there was an address of some hotel, which led her to her current situation.

_This is only to make sure he's alright_, she reminded herself before finally knocking.

She had already been standing outside for fifteen minutes; she had to be thankful that the building was relatively vacant. Otherwise, she would have been on the receiving end of odd stares. It was already hard enough to build up the courage to do this; she did not need spectators to make matters much worse.

She couldn't tell how long it had been when the door eventually opened. On the other side, Li smiled at her and she felt a sense of dizziness. Though he told her where he was, her mind had been imagining the worst; that she would approach the wrong door or he would be upset that she appeared.

"Hello Kirihara-san," he said congenially.

"Hi Li-kun," she managed to reply. "I hope I'm not intruding."

"No, no, of course not."

As if to prove his point, he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her inside. The door closed and Misaki could feel herself blushing. He was still holding onto her as he locked the door. When that was done, he turned to her, still smiling before slowly releasing her.

"Li-kun?" she asked with hesitation.

"Yes?"

"W – What happened? Are you alright?"

She gazed at him, confusion evident on her face as he wasn't behaving as he normally did. Even so, Hei couldn't help it as she had actually appeared. After all, his purposely babbled voice message was all part of the plan in luring her out to a place where they could be alone. What better place than a quiet hotel, away from prying eyes?

"I… I'm alright. I'm sorry for startling you," Hei said, attempting to inject some of Li's personality into his words. "I – It was all quite silly…"

"What happened?" she inquired, concern written all over her face.

Since she was already here, Hei was tempted to drag her close, but he quickly put a lid on that idea. It was still too early to act that way. He owed her some kind of explanation, even if it was completely fabricated. It wasn't like he could tell her it was part of his plan so he could meet her alone; to seek her out as Li, but behave as himself.

"L – Like I said, it's kind of silly…" he stated. "I misunderstood the landlady, thinking she wanted to kick me out… But she only meant that we would have to vacate for a couple days since some repairs need to be made…"

"Oh…"

"I p – panicked and ended up calling y – you," he continued, nervously scratching his neck. "I should have c – called a second time to say that everything was sorted out… S – Sorry."

He glanced away in embarrassment, but Misaki slowly shook her head, relieved that it was nothing serious. The idea that he would be deported had entered her mind and that would have been terrible. In comparison, just moving places temporarily was nothing.

"Thank you."

Her thoughts had wandered and the unexpected sound of his voice startled her back to reality. When she glanced his way, his gaze was steady as he watched her, causing her to blush. She was distracted by thoughts of him when she should be more distracted by his physical presence.

"S – Sorry, what was that?" she asked sheepishly.

"I said, thank you."

"'Thank you'? Whatever for?"

"For coming to check on me," he answered lightly.

It registered in her mind that something about him was different, but all thoughts of that flew out the window when he gently wrapped his fingers around her hand. Before she could say anything else, she was being guided into the room. He directed her to an armchair where he asked her to sit.

"Li-kun?"

"Have a seat. I'll make some tea."

"Oh… Okay…"

Leaving her side, Hei made his way to the bathroom to fill the hot water kettle. Clearly, she was confused as he was not acting like Li. Since there was no one here to scrutinize his actions, he didn't need to. The only one who could find him was Yin, but she wouldn't say anything to the others.

Misaki watched his back as he walked away from her, quickly glancing elsewhere when he tossed her a smile over his shoulder. This was not what she had imagined when she planned on coming. She was only going to confirm that he had come to no harm before leaving.

Now that they were alone together with Li acting completely different from what she was accustomed to, she had no idea what to expect. As a result, she was feeling extra jumpy and had to stifle the urge to giggle hysterically. At the same time, a sense of excitement mingled with the nervousness, her insides feeling like carbonated soda; a variety of emotional bubbles surfacing and popping to reveal a myriad of thoughts and sensations.

When the kettle was filled and plugged in, Li returned to sit on the other armchair. He grinned at her and Misaki couldn't help blushing as her thoughts were filled by how attractive he was. If she didn't know any better, it seemed like he was trying to bewitch her; little did he know that she had already fallen victim to his charms long ago.

The seconds continued to drag by as he did not speak and Misaki could not think of a single thing to say, still flustered. A few minutes later, the kettle whistled and he left to go see to their drinks. _Stop acting like such a nincompoop,_ Misaki berated herself, finally able to breathe a little easier since his intense gaze was no longer fixated on her face.

Pulling herself away from her tumultuous thoughts, she planted a smile on her face as she watched his return. A giggle escaped her lips as he looked more like the Li-kun she knew; anxiously carrying the full cup with his eyes locked onto its surface to make sure it didn't spill. He glanced up cautiously at the sound of her laughter, a small smile tugging at his lips before he resumed his monitor of the cup.

"Here you go, Misaki."

"Thanks," she murmured softly, glancing away when he stared at her again.

Resting the cup on the palm of his hand, he slowly turned it until the handle was pointed towards her. When he stooped down to put it closer, Misaki carefully took it, not wanting to spill any of the hot liquid on his upturned hand. Unexpectedly, his free hand rested over hers to steady her movements, which actually didn't help because it unsettled her shaky nerves even more.

"Carefully."

"I… It's f – fine, I got it Li-kun," she stammered.

"Alright. It's nothing fancy since it was the only kind they had."

"Mm…" she murmured, not trusting herself to speak.

He continued to hover around and Misaki closed her eyes as she leaned over the cup cradled in both hands. Gently blowing at the wisps of steam, it was more for something to do rather than actually hoping to drink it immediately. She managed to take a couple small sips before she had no choice but to abandon it; the tea scalding both her throat and mouth.

When she had the cup safely on the table, Misaki reluctantly turned her attention to Li. She had already felt his gaze watching her the entire time. Glancing up at him, she found him smiling down at her. Surprisingly, he lowered himself to sit on the arm of the chair and though the movement was made casually, Misaki couldn't help blushing at his proximity.

"Li-kun?" she questioned.

"Yes?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words were voiced out as she didn't even have a question in mind. Nervously biting on her lip, she mumbled something at random, utter nonsense, relieved that he couldn't actually hear her.

Hei leaned in closer, but he didn't hear her words as she had her head down and her voice was whisper quiet. Smiling to himself, he was amused by her antics as she was thrown off balance by the disappearance of Li's persona; not surprising given the fact that he had been a façade to begin with.

She was behaving like a timid bunny rabbit, not certain if her companion was friend or foe. As for him, his blood was pumping, filled with adrenaline; feeling very much like a hungry wolf ready to pounce on his prey. At the same time, he knew he had to be careful not to rush the situation.

Her head snapped up in surprise, her body instinctively shifting to avoid being squashed as he slid down the side of the chair's arm to sit next to her. Eyes opened wide, she stared at him momentarily before flushing bright red and averting her gaze.

"L – Li-kun, w – what are you doing?" she managed to ask.

"You're speaking so softly, I can't hear you."

"You don't hav…"

She was about to say that he didn't have to sit so close when the words died on her lips. Without warning, Li had taken hold of her hand, leisurely stroking his thumb back and forth over her knuckles; each tender touch creating a spiral of delightful tingles shooting up the length of her arm.

The continuous sensations danced along her arm, travelling to mix with the warmth of his body seeping into hers. It was strangely relaxing and exhilarating at the same time. Though she tried to fight it, she couldn't help but sigh with pleasure at the novel experience. Despite the difference in his behaviour now as opposed to how he was in public, something about this moment was still very Li-like – gentle and calming.

Sorely tempted to nestle more firmly against him, his heat like a beacon of light luring her in, she didn't. It would be much too forward for her to assume such liberties. Instead, she slowly closed her eyes and leaned back into the armchair, a relaxed smile softening the features of her face so typically seen in a frown.

"Misaki?"

"Hm?" she asked, without opening her eyes.

"Are you comfortable? Warm enough?"

"Very."

Hei smiled as he gazed at her; her expression at ease with a gentle smile on her lips. Her cheeks blossomed with the colour of roses, brought out by his closeness and his caresses. Unable to resist, Hei touched his palm to her cheek, longing to feel the petal softness of her silken skin. When she felt his fingers stroking across her face, Misaki gradually opened her eyes to look at him.

The warmth of pleasure in her eyes enticed him and he knew he was far beyond hope to attempt resistance. His ability to resist her had always been low to begin with. As she continued to gaze at him, he felt a fleeting moment of thankfulness that she wasn't generally like this. He didn't think any man could possibly withstand her current allure.

With his hand cradling her cheek, he drew her face closer at the same time that he began to lower his. He paused briefly when their lips were mere millimetres apart, but she didn't pull away. In fact, he had the feeling that she was just as mesmerized by him as he was by her.

Closing his eyes, he softly pressed his lips to hers. She lightly brushed her lips away to sigh before she kissed him back. Though he had every intention of being gentle with her, those thoughts were erased by her eager response to his advances. It took every ounce of control not to sweep her out of the chair and toss her on the bed which was only a few feet away.

His hand slipped behind her head to pull her even closer. In response, her hand stroked up across his chest to lightly grip his opened shirt. When her fingers brushed along his bare skin, Hei groaned against her lips. She gave it a tug to draw him closer still and he was forced to pull away, breathing raggedly. Their current positioning was not effective for their purposes; the forced twisting of their bodies awkward.

Slipping his arm between them, he brushed his hand down her backside, lingering on her butt before he scooped her out of the seat; resettling himself where she sat perpendicularly across his lap. She wasn't given a chance to complain as his lips captured hers once more, impatient to resume what they started.

He pressed her to lean back against the armchair, angling her head to allow him better access. Stroking his tongue along her lip, coaxing her to part them, she didn't resist. When she opened for him, he thrust his tongue inside, an urgent craving to taste her sweetness.

Their tongues tangled as she wrapped her arms around his neck, crossing over his back and pressing him more firmly into her. She would reciprocate his every action and it was detrimental to his vestige of control. Finally, he had no choice but to pull away from her before his animalistic instincts raged out of control.

It wasn't the fact that he didn't want her – he wanted her with an intensity beyond anything he had imagined. But given their circumstances, it was highly probable that this would be his only chance for an intimate evening with Misaki. They had all evening together. He highly doubted she felt inclined to leave. Perhaps sentimental or romantic in approach, but he wanted their first time to be something special – not something "wham bam, thank you ma'am", just because he couldn't keep his hands off of her.

"… I want you… Really, really badly… But not yet," he managed to tell her between laboured gasps for air.

Her arms were still wrapped around his neck, a sense of hurt confusion evident in her eyes. Yet, she recognized the significance, a shock of blush darkening her heated cheeks, as his erected manhood rubbed against her hip. Chuckling at her response, Hei slowly sat up to resume an upright position.

"Slowly," he murmured. "We have all night."

Gently, he loosened her hold on his neck and placed her hands in front of her before he seated her properly on his lap. Just because they weren't kissing, it didn't mean they had to separate as he had no intention of letting her leave his side at any point during their time together.

He lightly wrapped his arms around her waist and now that she had a moment to calm herself, Misaki blushed at her impulsively wanton behaviour. She couldn't help it. The moment he kissed her, she could think of nothing but feeling him more, closer, as close as possible. Though he pulled away, she actually wanted him to continue.

The unfamiliarity of her current situation and the awareness of her deep-rooted desire for the man she was sitting on caused her to fidget. She couldn't remember ever feeling like this before. Suddenly, Li growled softly, the noise startling her.

"Stop."

Baffled by his response, she was finally conscientious of his hardened arousal pressing firmly against her bottom; along with that realization, the fact that it shifted with her every movement. Astonished and amazed by this, Misaki giggled and continued to wriggle within his embrace.

Her movements stilled instantaneously and she gasped in surprise when his hand moved to rest along her inner thigh; dangerously close to a sensitive area of her body. Heat began to pool there as his thumb lazily stroked her thigh and he pulled the hair tie from her ponytail.

"I told you to stop," he warned.

He brushed her length of hair to one side before leaning forward to press his lips to her exposed neck. Each kiss was followed by the languid stroke of his tongue as he slowly made a trail of kisses upwards. Eventually, she whimpered in response when he gently sucked on a sensitive spot beneath her ear. Only then did he relent. Smiling, he took in a deep breath of her scent before he pulled away.

He resettled his arms around her waist and could feel her trembling from his latest assault on her senses. Hopefully that would teach her not to shift around unnecessarily as he was already aroused and dangerously aware of any movements she made – especially in their current situation.

"Ne, Li?" she asked after regaining a sense of composure.

"What is it?"

"A – Are you _always_ like this behind closed doors?"

Laughing in reply, he didn't feel inclined to answer that. What they were doing now had absolutely nothing to do with being behind closed doors and everything to do with the woman he was holding in his arms. When his laughter subsided, he pressed a lingering kiss to the crown of her head.

Though he laughed at her question, Misaki didn't understand what that response could possibly mean. She thought anyone would be curious, not that there were any complaints about the situation. It was mostly the stark contrast of his boldness now and his bashfulness when they met in public.

Sighing contentedly though he didn't reply, Misaki slowly wrapped an arm over his. The other one slowly stroked across his bare arm, amazed by the solid strength of muscles; until she found his hand. Resting hers over his, she slipped her fingers between his so they were interlaced. Then she smiled and leaned back against him to soak in his warmth.

* * *

><p>Waking from her slumbers, Misaki slowly shifted to feel the roughness of the cheap blanket scratching along her naked body. Gradually opening her eyes, she turned her head to find Li still asleep next to her; a smile crossing her features, knowing that he was equally naked beneath the covers.<p>

Unable to resist, she reached out for him to distractedly brush her palm along the smoothness of his chest, all the while remembering what had transpired. She could remember everything and it all started when he had first kissed her. It was like he had opened the floodgates to what had been her suppressed desire for him.

He had been the one to pull away, but she hadn't wanted him to stop. Though they had sat quietly afterwards, she couldn't stand it for long; not with his erection pushing into her as a constant reminder that he wanted her just as badly as she wanted him. Thankfully, he didn't try to stop the second time around.

There had been a mad flurry to remove clothing between desperate kisses, until they were both naked. He had carried her to the bed, even though she had been ready to dive onto it herself. Then… The glorious feeling of his naked body pressed along hers.

She turned her head in search of his collarbones; a part of his anatomy that she had an unhealthy obsession with. Feathering kisses along that expanse of skin was just as exotic now as it had been the first time; that distracting tease of skin she would perpetually see in public.

Abruptly, he growled, startling her from her thoughts. She was yanked close before he rolled on top of her, pinning her on the bed. Gazing into his eyes, a tiny smile tugged at her lips as his eyes had darkened with desire and she could feel his state of arousal once more.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked gruffly.

"Hm…"

A languid smile touched her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck; like she was actually carefully considering his questions. After some moments, she began to shift beneath him, tempting and teasing him.

"Nothing really," she murmured.

This caused him to growl again, which in turn caused her to giggle, but she wasn't laughing for long when he lowered his head to capture her lips in a demanding kiss. He moved against her, still not releasing his hold on her lips until his erected member pressed against her heated core.

He didn't take her immediately, prolonging the torture when he was already that close. Finally, Misaki could take it no longer, moaning in need. She wanted to feel him stroking within her, buried as deep inside as he could. And then he was doing exactly what she wanted him to, unable to withstand the seduction of her sultry plea.

When they finally climaxed together, Misaki sighed with pleasure. Hei rested on top of her momentarily before he rolled back to his side of the bed. Though it was perhaps strange, Misaki closed her eyes and reached out in search of his hand. He didn't resist her when she wrapped hers around his, interlocking their fingers; she still wanted to be close to him somehow regardless of how intimate they were moments before.

They didn't speak. They didn't need to, each lost in their own thoughts. Hei had always suspected that there was a fiery seductress beneath that stern law enforcer exterior, so he shouldn't be surprised that he was right. What did surprise him was how much more his body burned for her after making love to her.

Assuming it was like a sickness that one eventually got over, it was so far from the truth it was laughable. Rather than being cured, the so-called sickness raged with increased intensity – to have the memory of her marked into each fibre of his being.

"So really," she eventually said. "Are you always like this behind closed doors?"

"What?" he inquired, laughing as she repeated the question she had asked earlier.

"I mean… Not that I'm complaining. I rather like it," she replied suggestively.

He could only groan and shake his head in reply, even though he grinned. Perhaps this might not have been such a good idea. There was no way for them to continue and he didn't think he had any control around her anymore; not when the merest brush of her hand against him set his blood on fire. Also, he knew she would be hurt in the end.

But for him… Though he would have to avoid her in the future, it was worth every second; to create memories that could support him as he continued his fight. Unfair to her in many ways, but he couldn't reveal his secrets. All he could do was hope that it would become a passing dream for her since he didn't know when he could disappear or where he would disappear to.

They only had this night together. Every kiss, every caress, every cuddle; he would store it as a treasure. And though he knew it would be near impossible, he would do his damned best to avoid aggravating the eventual wound to Misaki; until that time came where he had to leave her side for good.


End file.
